Buckle for suspenders



Feb, 23, 1937.

A. R. PRICE BUCKLE FOR SUSPENDERS Original Filed May 21, 1935 7LATTORNEYS. f

Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Original applicationMay' 21, 1935, Serial No. 22,595. Divided and this application August23, 1935, Serial No. 37,588

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in buckles for suspenders, and itconsists of the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

This application is a division of my copending application on asuspender filed May 21, 1935, Serial No. 22,595. In the parentapplication I show a suspender provided with a novel type of pivot meansfor connecting the two webs of the suspender together at the back of thewearer. This pivot means permits one of the webs to slide in a retainingmember while still permitting the web to change its angular positionwith respect to the first web. I further show a novel type of buckle inwhich the web is clamped to a fiat surface by a clamping member. In theparent case I have claimed the pivot construction, while in the presentcase I will describe and claim the buckle.

As already stated the principal object of the buckle is to cause the webto lie flat against a surface, and to be clamped against this surface bya clamping member. This prevents the web from being folded and thus thelife of the web is materially increased. The supporting tension betweenthe buckle and the trousers is transmitted to a flat portion of the webrather than to a folded portion which is the general practice in astandard suspender.

I further set forth in the parent case how the buckles on the suspendersare disposed lower down on the web than on the standard suspenders. Thisreduces the wear of the buckles on the vest. The same is true in thepresent case.

The clamping member is adjustably carried by the buckle and has aturned-over upper edge which prevents the member from being removed fromthe supporting plate of the buckle when the web of the suspender isdisposed in place. The device is extremely simple in construction andprovides a novel means for adjustably securing the U-strap to the web ata place above the fold in the web.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a partof this application, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of one endof a pair of suspenders showing the buckle in position;

Figure 2 is a section along the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an isometric view of the supporting plate forming part ofthe buckle;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the clamping member forming the otherpart of the buckle;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the supporting 5 plate; and

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the clamping member.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a, pair of standardsuspenders and I show in Fig- 10 ures 1 and 2 only that portion of thewebbing I that is designed to be connected to the front of the trousers.In actual practice there are two strands of webbing I used but sinceboth strands are identical, a showing and description of one 15 willsuflice.

In Figures 3 and 4-. I show the two parts of the buckle separated. Thesupporting plate indicated at 2 has a U-shaped portion 3 formed therein.The upper wall 4 of this portion has a slot 5 that extends substantiallythroughout the width of the buckle supporting plate. The lower wall 6likewise has a slot I coextensive in length with the slot 5. The lowerportion of the plate 2 is bent rearwardly as at 8. 2

Figure 5 clearly shows the lower portion 8 of the plate 2 provided withtwo openings 9. The function of these openings will be describedhereinafter.

The clamping member is shown at II) in Fig- 30 ure 4. This member has atop edge curved back on itself as indicated at I I, and has a lowerportion I2 bent at an angle with respect to the body of the clampingmember. Figure 6 shows the rearwardly bent portion I2 as being provided35 with teeth I3, while Figure 4 shows the body III enlarged at I4 sothat the length of the toothed edge I3 is substantially equal to thewidth of the web I. In assembling the two parts of the buckle theclamping member III has its curved portion II passed through the slots Iand 5 in the order named. The curved portion II is then moved away fromthe plate 2 and in its final position receives the upper edge I5 of theU-shaped portion 3 as indicated in Figure 2.

The web I is now passed in front of the plate 2 and in back of theclamping member Ill. The web is folded back on itself as at I6, seeFigure 2, and the end of the web is passed through a slot II in theplate 2. The end of the web is stitched to another portion of the web bystitching I8.

A U-strap indicated generally at III has its leg portions 29 and 2|passed through the openings 9 in the rearwardly bent portion 8. The legs29 and 2| extend at an angle from the head piece 22 of the U-strap. Thelegs are integral with the head piece. The lower ends of the strap, 1.e. the legs 20 and 2|, are provided with button holes, and by this meansthe U-strap is removably secured to the front of the trouser.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood.

Both front portions of the webs l are provided with buckles and thebuckles are adjustably secured to the fiat portions of the webs in themanner indicated. The webbing I can be moved in the direction of itslength past the clamping member I0 when the clamping member is in theposition shown in Figures 1 and 2. After the proper adjustment has beenmade the clamping member ID is moved upwardly with respect to the plate2 and this will cause the inclined portion of the clamping member toride beneath the outer portion of the U-shaped part 3. This will causethe teeth l3 to engage with the web and to hold the web in adjustedposition. It will be noted that all of the pull on the web during theactual wearing of the suspenders will be in a direction to move the webupwardly with respect to the buckle. This upward movement will tend tomove the clamping member ID upwardly and the result will be a moresecure clamping of the member 10 upon the webbing. Adjustment of thewebbing! with respect to the buckle can be made from time to time, andto accomplish this the wearer first manually moves the clamping memberl0 into the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, whereupon the teeth l3are disengaged from the webbing and will permit the webbing to be moved.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should beunderstood that various changes or modifications may be made within thescope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In a pair of suspenders, a clamp comprising a plate with an openingtherein and a band of substantially the same width as the opening andbeing spaced in front of the front face of the plate for receiving asuspender strap that slides between the band and plate, and lies flat onthe plate, the top and bottom edges of the-opening extending parallelwith each other and being spaced from each other a distancesubstantially equal to the width of the band, and a clamping memberslidable between the strap and band and having teeth at its lower endfor positively engaging with the strap and for clamping the strap to theplate, the clamping member being inclined with respect to the plate andband, whereby upward movement of the member with respect to 2. In a pairof suspenders, a clamp comprising a plate with an opening therein and aband of substantially the same width as the opening and being spaced infront of the front face of the plate for receiving a suspender strapthat slides between the band and plate, and lies fiat on the plate, thetop and bottom edges of the opening extending parallel with each otherand being spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to thewidth of the band, and a clamping member slidable between the strap andband and having teeth at its lower end for positively engaging with thestrap and for clamping the strap to the plate, the clamping member beinginclined with respect to the plate and band, whereby upward movement ofthe member with respect to the band will wedge the member between theband and strap and drive the teeth into the strap for preventing upwardmovement of the strap, the top of the clamping member having a flangeengageable with the band when the clamp is moved into released position,whereby the withdrawal of the member from the band is prevented so longas the strap is in place.

3. In a pair of suspenders, a clamp comprising a plate, a strap clampingmember operatively connected to the plate, and a strap clamped to theplate thereby, the lower end of said plate extending rearwardly, aU-strap carried by the rearwardly extending portion and designed tosupport trousers, an end of the first mentioned strap depending belowthe plate, being folded back upon itself and passed between the legs ofthe U-strap, the folded portion of the first strap covering therearwardly extending portion of the plate and being connected to the topof the plate for covering the entire rear surface of the plate, wherebythe folded strap portion prevents the plate from creating any wearingaction on the clothes.

4. In a pair of suspenders, a clamp comprising a plate with a U-portiontherein and a rearwardly extending lower portion with openings therein,the U-portion having slots in its top and bottom walls, a strap passedthrough the slots and having its end looped back on itself and securedto the plate, and a clamping member slidable in the slots and beinginclined for hearing against the base of the U-portion for clamping thestrap to the plate, the clamping being accomplished on a flat portion ofthe strap, and a U-strap having its legs passed through the openings inthe rearwardly extending plate portion, and having button receivingopenings at their free ends.

ABRAHAM ROBERT PRICE.

